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Mahnomen deputy Chris Dewey hailed as hero during funeral

Several thousand law enforcement
officers from around the state gathered Wednesday to hear Mahnomen
County Deputy Christopher Dewey eulogized as a hero.

Dewey, 27, was shot in the head and stomach in
February 2009 while checking out a report of shots fired in a
Mahnomen neighborhood. He never fully recovered and died last week.

"After the shooting, people called Chris a hero, but I think he
always has been," his sister-in-law, Hannah Bergman, said during
the service at Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park.
"Chris showed me that every day is an opportunity to serve
others."

Dozens and dozens of squad cars began pulling up outside the
church about an hour before the funeral. Officers and deputies in
various law enforcement uniforms were in the driver's seats.

Dewey's family entered the church followed by his Mahnomen
County colleagues, who had their shifts covered by deputies from
other agencies so they could attend the service. Gov. Tim Pawlenty
and state Attorney General Lori Swanson also were at the funeral.

A silver urn holding Dewey's ashes sat at the front of the
sanctuary next to a photo of him in uniform.

Dewey was a star football player who helped win the class 4A
title at Cambridge-Isanti High School his senior year, and he
continued to play football during his time at the Law Enforcement
Training Program in Hibbing.

He was hired as a sheriff's deputy in Mahnomen County in 2004.
He and his wife, Emily, married in 2007, and he was looking forward
to starting a family with her, according to the funeral program.

Tears flowed freely during the service. Deputy Chad Peterson
said his partner, Dewey, would have urged his loved ones to "be
joyous."

"His whole life was a celebration," Peterson said.

After the funeral, a procession led by police vehicles headed to
Crystal Lake Cemetery in Minneapolis where Dewey's ashes were
interred.

Thomas Lee Fairbanks of Anoka is facing murder charges in
Dewey's death. A co-defendant in the shooting, Daniel Kurt Vernier,
pleaded guilty to failing to render assistance to the deputy and
was sentenced last September to two years in prison.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Gallery

Service personnel walk toward Living Word Christian Center for the funeral of Deputy Christopher Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonView full galleryA member of the Patriot Guard holds a program for the funeral of Deputy Christopher Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonMark Dayton greets members of the Patriot Guard before the start of the funeral of Deputy Christopher Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonMembers of area fire departments prepare to hang a flag for the procession following the funeral of Deputy Christopher Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonA procession makes its way down Northland Avenue following the funeral of Deputy Christopher Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonJudy Koskie salutes as a hearse carrying the remains of Deputy Christopher Dewey passes following the funeral of Dewey in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Wednesday, August 18, 2010.MPR Photo/Jeffrey ThompsonHundreds of law enforcement personnel paid their respects to Mahnomen County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Dewey on August 18, 2010 in Brooklyn Park, Minn.Hennepin County Sheriff's Department